India, eyeing China ties, bans Tibetan rally in New Delhi

Reuters, NEW DELHI

India has banned Tibetans from holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi later this month to mark the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, officials said on Wednesday, as it tries to improve fraught ties with China.

Relations between China and India have been tense after their troops faced off on a disputed part of their border.

China was also angered by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last month to the eastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh, also claimed by China.

Senior officials in the foreign and interior ministries said exiled Tibetans would not be allowed to hold a rally in the capital, but could do so in the northern town of Dharamsala, where a Tibetan government-in-exile is based.

“We don’t want Tibetans to hold big anti-China protests in New Delhi because it creates a bit of diplomatic tension between India and China,” a senior Indian Ministry of External Affairs official said. “It’s a very sensitive time for India and China ties, and we want to ease tensions.”

Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday said at a news conference that there was a “pressing need” for China and India to resolve a lack of mutual trust.

Authorities in India and Nepal have previously banned protests against China by Tibetans during sensitive times, such as visits by Chinese leaders.

China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a “peaceful liberation” of the remote, Himalayan region.

An uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet erupted in 1958 and troops crushed it the following year.

Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled from the crackdown and was granted asylum in India.

The Dalai Lama has lived mostly in Dharamsala, where his supporters run a government-in-exile and advocate for autonomy for Tibet by peaceful means.

“The Dalai Lama’s followers can host events, hold protests — but only in Dharamsala,” said an Indian Ministry of Home Affairs official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media. “We have limited them this time.”

Dorje Gyalchen, a representative of the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, confirmed that the venue for the gathering planned for New Delhi would be changed.

China considers the Dalai Lama to be a dangerous separatist and has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun him.

India allows him to pursue his religious activities in the nation and to travel abroad.

Tens of thousands of Tibetans live in 39 formal settlements and dozens of informal communities across India.